happened in this field. The lost of Vande Velde, a French player in 1999, Garcia from Spain in 2007, the incredible things are not their lost but the processes when they played.
It was just the 2007¡¯s British Open, I was in Carnoustie to attend the Qualifying of LPGA with Mr.Wang Jinpei, the Vice Chairman of Shanghai Golf Association, Mr. Lu Jun, a designer and Miss Shang Linyan, a female player ,and it was just in the week of British Open, so we all came to Carnoustie Golf Course. I know I would have the chance to meet Beta, and I know he was famous there, but what I did not acquired was he was so welcomed there.
Carnoustie Golf Course belongs to the local government-Angus city. In the course ,there is a special meeting room for the Mayer to receiving guests, and Mrs. Rose, the Mayer welcomed us ,the Chinese guests of Beta made me know that Beta was also called half host there.
How does ¡°Beta Soong¡±, the English name come? It is said that Beta was good at math when he was young , he always kept ¡°¦¡¦Á alpha¡± ¡¢ ¡°¦Â beta¡±¡¢ ¡°¦¸¦Ø omega¡± in his mouth£¬so the ¡°Beta¡± became his name.
In the town Carnoustie£¬two roads are related with Beta£º¡°Silport Road¡± and ¡°Tiger Beach Road¡±. And the second one is from Tiger Beach golf links£¬which is another golf course owned by Beta. Its location is in Haiyang city of Shandong Province China. The famous ¡°land mine warfare¡± site when the War of Resistance against Japan and also several workers in the course are the offspring of this combat heroes.
Tiger Beach is the big reason why he is especially welcomed here.
Tiger Beach is designed by Beta and also the pure Links under his own construction survey, as we all know that Scotland is the hometown of links style course, like St. Andrews and also Carnoustie, and far away near the city Yantai of China, there is also a pure links, which is full of Scottish flavor. The city of Angus and the city of Yantai is Sister Cities, and the tiger beach fastened the ties of this friendship. And the designer of the tiger beach, modesty and talented who has different understandings and feelings of golf links had deeply impressed the Scottish people. Beta has become the distinguished guest in Angus and many times he delegated the members and the Medias came to go on a pilgrimage to Scottish golf courses. Tiger Beach Golf Links also became the sister course with Carnoustie.
This is a big thing in China, because so many titular courses with the world famous designers¡¯ and top players¡¯ in China, but the one which become the sister course with the grand slam venue is just the Tiger beach Golf Links. So we could say that was just Beta Soong¡¯s contributions who promoted the Chinese Golf course to the world.
One and the only honored freeman of the City of Angus had been awarded to Beta Soong. Two roads named after his famous courses with the Chinese Features, in the past year, Beta also become the international promotion ambassador of Scotland Traditional Tartan¡¯s Day; all the honors show the special social status of Beta Soong in Scotland.
We could say you cannot know well about Beta Soong if you were not been to Scotland, but of course I knew Beta in Shanghai Silport, or exactly during the time of VOLVO China Open held in Silport, and through that I am aware of how he loves golf and his great support to the Chinese Golf. That sounds might be a little false but it is true.
At the begging of the year, Mel Pyatt, the formal CEO of Richtone came to Hong Kong, when we have a talk, he mentioned that the VOLVO China Open cannot grow so fast to be a European tour without the great support of Beta, and also the Chinese golfers had their own tournament atmosphere then.
Beta and his team all offer great contributions on the course cooperation, the layout of the club house and the meals.
¡±Beta loves golf and he comprehends golf¡±. Mel said. It is so precious that the love and the comprehension, especially at the begging of the VOLVO China Open. To be honest, the first 3 years of VOLVO China Open in Beijing were really hard on the marketing; we and the course tried but little effect. And I have talked about this with Mr. Cui Zhiqiang, the Secretary-general of CGA, and we thought the Media did not give the enough support; there were just about tens of internal Medias during the first VOLVO China Open in Beijing Int¡¯l GC in the year of 1995, I feel few while Cui Zhiqiang had no idea for the poor condition.
And the year of 1998, the Open moved to Shanghai Island golf course we thought that could be called a transitional period, we moved to Shanghai from Beijing, but there were some problems on the cooperation. Then the year after we cooperated with Beta, a new time had come. Just for that, six years¡¯ cooperation from 1999 to 2004, Silport as the host venue offered a new stage and a stable market. And to be objective, the six years¡¯ cooperation made the VOLVO China Open internationalization.
Mr.Zhang Lianwei, a Chinese player won the champion in the year 2003, and VOLVO China Open promoted to be the European Tour in 2004, all happened in Silport.
In the year of 2005 and 2006Ä꣬VOLVO China Open moved to Shenzhen GC and Beijing Honghua Int¡¯l GC, and 2007 back to Silport. We cherish the significance that the Silport to the Open when it left to other course, and we also miss the days of the home feeling that the Media in Silport during the Open. The Open returned and as us golf staff, also felt back home.
Silport is the lucky home of the VOLVO China Open, also this time it returned, too.
He said, 2007, the 7th time that Silport to be the host of VOLVO China Open, and also the 7th time for its sister course-Carnoustie to host the British Open, and more ,there were 7 Chinese players entered the final, include an amateur player-Han Ren, we had to say, just one Chinese player Zhang Lianwei entered in Shenzhen in 2005,and just one Chinese player ¨CLi Chao entered in Beijing Honghua in 2006, so this Lucky 7 make the GREAT, and during the following Open, all the Chinese players entered the final in teams, all start from Silport.
While one thing ends in Silport, that was Mel¡¯s term of Richtone.
The Open in 2007, Mel¡¯s farewell Open, Beta and Mel¡¯ deep friendship was well presented.
After the moving formal farewell glance, a touching scene still in my mind, which was Mel shook hands with each one to say goodbye.
The last night of the Open, Mel came to the Media Center with Beta, a few journalists were working on the news and the staff was pulling down the scoreboard, Mel shook hands with everyone and said thanks, a really touching scene. Then they came back to the club house, the coffee shop was still open overtimes and the waiter served them each a cup of coffee with no words, all the people moved, seated scattered and silenced.
Mr. WangYouyu, followed us and finally he took out a match schedule and invite Mel to sign his name on it.
¡°You witness the history night¡± Beta said to Wang, Beta always came to the point even though he said few.
Beta sent Mel Pyatt off on his car and farewell to him.
They are friend for ever.
When I said the word ¡°Friend¡±, Beta¡¯s significant society status came to my mind
Someone would like to call him CEO for he owns two best quality courses with great different Features, Silport with the southeast China style and wild Tiger Beach Golf Links. Both of them are the china top 10 courses.
Someone said he is a designer, because Tiger Beach Golf Links design all by himself, and now he works on the Tiger Beach another 18 holes added.
Someone calls him a connoisseur; he loves food, antique, ancient relic and especially the golf course. When he is not in a golf course, he must be on the way to a course. He purposely went to Augusta this year for Tiger Woods and Mickelson to watch Master Green Jacket fighting match at the famous Amen Corner.
But for me, Beta is a good friend, not only for the VOLVO China Open, but also for our China Golf course GM fellowship society.
The latest meet with Beta was in Tianjing, it is about our annual general meeting. It should be the GM mastered by rights, as the CEO, he can just tell his GM to deal with that, but for so many years, he himself still involves in the work of our society, it is really touching and precious.
For many thanks to him, we have a special tradition-Golden Jacket.
In the year passed, during our tenth term meeting, we awarded the green jacket to the GM of the host course, and specially, we sent two golden jacket to the hosts who provided special contribution to our society, Silport Beta and SuGuozhen from Tianma Country Club had become the first two recipients, and till now we just sent 3 ones, the other winner is YanBin from Beijing Ruoy chai.
The jacket tradition started from the fifth times on the co-organized meeting by Silport and Tianma, and that time can be called a watershed of the new promotion level on the quality, the concept and the reception, of course the big progress cannot have without Beta ¡®s great support.
So we respected Beta as our best friend.
Sometimes, I feel particularly grateful to the VOLVO China Open, the signature tournament which our Richtone and Mel Pyatt try our best to make , though, many difficult ventures, trials and hardships ,we tried to bring up the players and to promote the Chinese golf but another great rewarding is I made lots of good friends, Beta is one.
VOLVO China Open has been held for 16 terms, and 7 times in Beta¡¯s Silport which the most time host venues would be, 3 times in Beijing International GC, 2006 in Honghua ,and in Beijing CBD in the year of 2008 and 2009.
|
